Partial Lunar Eclipse to occur tonight at 1:31 AM

Guwahati: A partial eclipse of the Moon will occur tonight and it will be visible in India. It begins at 1:31 am. The maximum partial eclipse will occur at 3:01 am when about a little more than half portion of the Moon will be covered by the Earth's shadow. It will end at 4:30 am. The eclipse will be visible from beginning to end from all places in India, except the extreme northeastern part of Arunachal Pradesh.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind Earth and into its shadow.[1] This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned (in syzygy), with Earth between the other two. A lunar eclipse can occur only on the night of a full moon. The type and length of a lunar eclipse depend on the Moon's proximity to either node of its orbit.

During a total lunar eclipse, Earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. The only light reflected from the lunar surface has been refracted by Earth's atmosphere. This light appears reddish for the same reason that a sunset or sunrise does: the Rayleigh scattering of bluer light. Due to this reddish color, a totally eclipsed Moon is sometimes called a blood moon.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly 2 hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only up to a few minutes at any given place, due to the smaller size of the Moon's shadow. Also unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view without any eye protection or special precautions, as they are dimmer than the full Moon.

Also Read: Lunar Eclipse July 2018: Guwahati Planetarium Sets the Stage for visitors to witness the incredible Occurrence